Yakwe Eligible!!

I understand the want to play him now because this team really needs him. But playing him this year will result in many people saying when he's done after 18-19 season "imagine how good this team could be next year if we had another year of Yakwe instead of using him in the 15-16 season when we went 9-21"

Yeah you gotta play him. That 5th year could be for a competitor with all the 5th year transfers these days.

Play him. Can't worry about 4 years from now in this business and experience will go a long way

This business is all about worrying about 4 years from now. That's why coaches start recruiting high school freshmen

Yeah you gotta play him. That 5th year could be for a competitor with all the 5th year transfers these days.

Those still account for less than 5% of players, probably even fewer. And who knows, that rule might be changed by then

Quote from: STJ11Redmen on November 25, 2015, 04:16:30 PM

Yeah you gotta play him. That 5th year could be for a competitor with all the 5th year transfers these days.

Those still account for less than 5% of players, probably even fewer. And who knows, that rule might be changed by then

And what percentage of players stay for 5 years?

@NYPost_Brazille: One of St. John's prized freshman cleared to play https://t.co/ZIQlqjIAdM via @nypost #sjubb

With Williams weak shoulder he has to play now--need the "insurance"

with Williams questionable shoulder we need him now

Quote from: goredmen on November 25, 2015, 04:19:08 PM

Quote from: STJ11Redmen on November 25, 2015, 04:16:30 PM

Yeah you gotta play him. That 5th year could be for a competitor with all the 5th year transfers these days.

Those still account for less than 5% of players, probably even fewer. And who knows, that rule might be changed by then

And what percentage of players stay for 5 years?

Not really a fair representation. The vast majority of players don't redshirt their freshman season. I'm sure a very large percentage of those that do redshirt a season do stay 5 years, otherwise what's the point of the redshirt

No sense debating, he is playing v Fordham.

with Williams questionable shoulder we need him now

Need him now for what? This team is not doing anything this year. Our ceiling is 10 or 11 wins with or without Yakwe. We don't need him this year

with Williams questionable shoulder need to play him now

Quote from: redslope on November 25, 2015, 04:24:06 PM

with Williams questionable shoulder we need him now

Need him now for what? This team is not doing anything this year. Our ceiling is 10 or 11 wins with or without Yakwe. We don't need him this year

And who's to say he ever sees his Sr year at SJU?  He's missed 6 games. 5 since today doesn't count.  You already have Owens sitting out.

Play him!!!!  No better experience than actually being in a game. Plus we need to show recruits that our freshmen improve. And he is already good and can only get better. Him playing is good for next year recruits.

Personally, I think it is better for his development to play against real comp than sit a year.  So I'd play him and let him learn from some of the butt-kickings he is going to endure.

If it was later in the season I would say sit him and wait until next year. I would play him though now. A year of experience will be huge for him when we are looking to be very competitive next year.

Quote from: goredmen on November 25, 2015, 04:25:36 PM

Quote from: redslope on November 25, 2015, 04:24:06 PM

with Williams questionable shoulder we need him now

Need him now for what? This team is not doing anything this year. Our ceiling is 10 or 11 wins with or without Yakwe. We don't need him this year

And who's to say he ever sees his Sr year at SJU?  He's missed 6 games. 5 since today doesn't count.  You already have Owens sitting out.

All I'm saying is we are risking losing him for a season where he would be a big part of a year that might be able to do something really special to play him in a year where we won't even be close to .500.

In the end, I would prefer to see him redshirt this year since we won't accomplish anything this season anyway. But, I trust this staff to make the right decision with him and if they choose to play him this year, which it looks like they will, I won't be too upset about it

Im not privy to the extent of Ellison and Williams injuries but I would lean towards redshirting. Yakwe himself said he was interested in redshirting his re-classed year.

It really comes down to how improved the staff thinks he will be next year with 25 games * 15 mpg worth of experience vs. the potential of a him being a very experienced part of a nasty team four seasons from now.  This will very likely be a bubble team next year and maybe the 3/4's of  a season's worth of experience and building chemistry puts the team on the right side off the bubble?

One interesting consideration is that redshirting him for the rest of this year essentially eliminates the risk of him transferring the following three seasons since he would lose a year of eligibility by doing so.  The 5th year grad-transfer would still be fair game, but that exception doesn't look likely to be around four years from now.  Yakwe has expressed his willingness to prep or redshirt this season to work on his game and at 6'7 he's not a threat to go to the NBA early unless he just becomes insanely good and that would be  win for both sides.

I don't think there is a wrong move here, and I trust the staff completely.

What was this anyway, a pre-Thanksgiving news dump by the NCAA?  Diallo, Yakwe and Syracuse today.